There is nothing like visiting an old favorite railfan haunt location from Your past that You haven't visited in years, and to actually be there with a camera in hand when a really unique photo opportunity surprises You at the right time.
I took this photo one sunny but very cold and windy Winter morning, back in January of 2007.
We are on the southwest side of Chicago, facing west from South Lawndale Avenue at approximately what would be West 49th Street. I just happened to be there when this BNSF Railway one car extra was departing from their nearby ex A,T & S,F Corwith Yard.
The train is slowly heading westbound over a heavilly ballasted Belt Railway of Chicago owned single track branchline. The train is being pulled by a former Burlington Northern Railroad 1970's era EMD model SD 40-2 roadswitcher. The one car, is a double stacked well container car used on intermodal trains.
I discovered this location in 1977 when I began attending Curie High School just across the tracks, and fell in love with it. I hung out here a lot and began regular lineside railfanning. Although I have always enjoyed trains as a kid, I consider this location the true birthplace of My railfaning experience.
The elevated railroad tracks on the embankment in the background, are those of the Chicago Transit Authority's orange line rapid transit to Chicago's Midway Airport.
Prior to December of 1988, this was actually the ground leval and unfortunately poorly maintained Stockyards branchline of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad.
The CTA orange line opened in November of 1993.
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